Acqva di Sale: Marine scent with some fruits and cedarwood. Not my cup of tea, but the SA said it is their best seller.

Ichnvsa: Lovely fig scent, both leaves and wood used. Other ingredients are herbs and mirto(blueberry). Absolutely wonderful! Creamier and not as sweet as Philosykos and the mirto in the middle gives a nice twist to it. The initial notes are much more herbal than Philosykos. A real winner!

Santalvm: Sandalwood and cinnamon, I'm not a big fan of cinnamon, but Sandalwood lovers will surely appreciate this one.

Fvmidvs: Vetiver, a very, very strong earthy take on a vetiver. I haven't got anything to compare it with, it's nothing at all like the fresh Guerlain or the soapy Creed I know.

Very good stuff overall, all smelling very natural. They only sell their perfume in their own shops but if someone is interested, send them an email. Only 100ml for 130 euro in EDP strenght. They also carry Creed, LV, Carthusia, Different Company, L'artisan, Keiko Mecheri, Diptyque and Frederick Malle. Maybe also some others.
_____________________________________________

Profumeria Materozzoli
Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina 5 (just off Via del Corso)
Very nice old pharmacy with a very nice stock of LVs, Creeds, Kiehls etc, (one of) the most famous in Rome.
_____________________________________________

Along Via Nazionale and around Santa Maria Maggiore you can find a couple of Discount stores. There is a Sephora at Termini, the main train station, but it isn't very good.

There are lots of shops selling niche stuff near the Pantheon (Campo Marzio area). Just walk around, here you will also find a fashion store for men called Degli Effetti that stocks the Dior limited edition line.

On every other block in the city centre there is a profumeria selling designer stuff. Sometimes at the big flea market, Porta Portese, there is a stand that sells testers and old stock. Sometimes you can find Creeds and Etros really cheap. I never bought anything from here so I can't really say if it's a good deal or not.

Somewhere between Via del Corso and the Spanish Steps there is a store selling discontinued scents (maybe Via Frattina?).

Happy hunting!

15th February 2006, 09:50 AM

BrothaG

Re: Rome, Italy

Thanks for posting! I'm off to Rome in a few weeks and will sure try out your addresses, if I find the time.
I'll write a report later :)

2nd March 2006, 08:23 AM

BrothaG

Re: Rome, Italy

I just got back from Rome and had a great time! I've had the chance to visit a few of the boutiques mentioned here.

This was a very tiny, genuine store with a friendly lady serving me. Since it was my first time with Creed fragrances, I asked to sample Silver Mountain Water and so I did. I kept it on my hand for the rest of the day but wasn't very impressed. Either way, nice place. Too bad I didn't have that much time.

I came across this store by surprise and knew I had to go in there. Very ancient and authentic looking, the air of the company's history was totally in there. The friendly SA made me try everything I wanted and I went away with Melograno (pomegranate, fresh and THE example of a truly classic fragrance). My brother got their Acqua di Sicilia, a great citrus fragrance.
I also really wanted to try their Pot Pourri scent since it's so old and got me very interested. It was a rather spicy, musky, incense-like fragrance. Didn't really try it that well, but wasn't too impressed.

The other store I went into was an Hermes boutique (Via Condotti), since my mom and I were interested in getting Un Jardin Sur le Nil. BUT my eye hit the fragrance spot and I saw the Terre d'Hermes fragrance standing right out there. Needless to say I had to try it. This is what I wrote on it in the Hermes thread:
&quot;I obtained a sample of this at the Herm&#232;s boutique and was pretty stunned. It reminds me of something I can't place. It really has that 'rough' sweetness yet with a 'light' touch to it, totally fits the description. Very earthy but not at all intoxicating, it was very 'lightly sweet' during my wearing. Absolutely pleasant and a great piece of art.&quot;
We went away with Un Jardin Sur le Nil and two samples of Terre d'Hermes.
The SA's for the Hermes boutique weren't all that.. helpful but not pleasant. Exactly the same goes for nearly every boutique on Via Condotti. The doormen are probably the worst of all, they seem to think that whom stands at the door owns the place.

To sum it all up, we had an awesome trip with some lovely fragrance moments. Rome definitely has a lot to offer.

24th March 2006, 10:05 PM

Milan

Re: Rome, Italy

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrothaG

The SA's for the Hermes boutique weren't all that.. helpful but not pleasant. Exactly the same goes for nearly every boutique on Via Condotti.

This is a very true observation. People from Via Condotti, and not only that street, but the entire neighbourhood, do tend to have a clear cut personality, ..., which is not necessarily a very pleasant one. That is why it is important to have &quot;your&quot; sales person in places you tend to shop. I was devastated when &quot;my&quot; Maurizio moved from Gucci to Prada, and when &quot;my&quot; Angela got married and Vuitton. Anyhow, my point was that this all adds to the charm of shopping and gives a very personal touch. That is how you get served before the tourists, which are always there and in thousands, and that is how you get to see best pieces before those hit the shelves...not to mention the sales :), and that cup of coffee or a glass of champagne...

26th March 2006, 07:21 PM

docluv45

Re: Rome, Italy

Thanks for the listing! *It came in very handy and I enjoyed all of your recommendations. *There was another excellent &quot;profumeria&quot; on the street with the TAD store, across and slightly closer to the Spanish Steps that was very good as well with many artisanal and popular brands as well. *The Etro boutique is closeby as well and fairly free with samples.

I had no luck around Santa Maria Maggiore though.

24th March 2008, 01:18 AM

AnnaBanana

Re: Rome, Italy

Does anyone know if Laura Biagiotti's "Venezia" for women is still available in Italy?
Grazie!!

Does anyone know if there is anywhere to purchase i Profumi di Firenze products in Rome? A co-worker will be there in March and I would like him to pick me up something if it isn't too hard for him to find.

Also, is there any advantage to purchasing Mazzolari scents here? Are the prices better than in USA?

thanks

9th June 2009, 05:34 PM

odysseusm

Re: Rome, Italy

I'm getting ready for a trip to Rome, and am grateful for this thread.
I also found this information, Beauty and Fragrance Shopping in Rome.

Anyone going to Rome shouldn't miss the chance to visit the three Campomarzio70 stores. Within their thre point of sales they carry almost anything available on the niche market, plus tones of high-end brands, designers exlusives, limited editions and a bunch of italian/european uber niche houses. SAs are incredibly aknowledged, patient, easy going and very generous with samples. The best shops in Italy.

I wanted to visit Campomarzio while I was in Rome but didn't find the time to do so.
I happened to walk past Olfattorio on Via de Ripetta and found the most helpful service there. At the beginning it was a bit hard communicating in English with the salesgirl, but after a few moments, I realized she spoke flawless Spanish. And by flawless I mean flawless (she was Italian).
It was a very pleasant experience. I would love to return soon to beautiful Rome, visit Campomarzio and definitely go back to Olfattorio.

27th June 2012, 12:13 AM

cacio

Re: Rome, Italy

Resurrecting an old thread, not sure it is the best, to report on todays trip to Rome. I finally visited the other two campomarzio (ie those not on campomarzio street) . one deliberately (via vittoria) and one by chance (pantheon).

Thanks alfarom for suggesting the via vittoria. it is indeed wonderful. it has many of the hard to find brands like odriu, sospiro, parfums mdci, and others i have even forgotten, some with quite beautiful bottles (though not necessarily scents). There is a room upstairs, which is not open, but the sa can guide you there. Quite novel the use of feathers (as in unspecified real birds, likely geese or chicken) as mouilettes for many perfumes. I got back with a bag full of feathers.

The three stores have different targets, and carry somewhat different brands, Id say the pantheon store is the regular niche (diptyque, artisan, and the like mostly), campomarzio is a little bit of everything, including amouages, and via vittoria is the very hard to find niche of niche. campomarzio and via vittoria stores are definitely worth visiting (the third one just happens to be near one of the main tourist attractions).

Incidentally, I also noticed a Laura Tonatto standalone store in Piazza di Pietra, near via del Corso-Montecitorio and in the gneral area also of the Profvmvm boutique. But I had no time and a tired nose so I did not enter.

cacio

18th March 2015, 10:48 PM

cacio

Re: Rome, Italy

Resurrecting yet again to point out that there is now a self standing Amouage store in Rome, a few doors down the Campomarzio boutique. It happens to be right in front of the entrance to the Italian house of representatives. Whether this says something about either, I do not know.